Il Giardino Dei Tarocchi & Pearl’s Garden Too
If I have goals as an artist they are mostly to create beautiful and thought-provoking work. Of course, something thought-provoking might not always be beautiful, but I will take either, when I can get them.
There are many things that are life-affirming. Creating a beautiful thing. Making love. Getting married. Giving birth. Watching your children fall in love. Helping others. Finding simple joys in small things.
One thing that always strikes me is when a person has a driven mission. It helps if the person is free of money worries of course. If they can just do what they do best without incumberences. But sometimes, it’s seeing a person persue that which feels greater than them and seems against the odds of possibility, is what is truly extraordinary.
On Facebook one day the avatar of a person I didn’t know caught my eye. The icon looked like a statue of some sort, but it was hard to tell in the smallish format of the avatar. I asked the person about it and she told me it was from a wonderful place she visited in Italy called “The Tarot Garden.”
Here is the Wiki about the artist responsible for The Tarot Garden – Niki de Saint Phalle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niki_de_Saint_Phalle
Click the image below to go to the official website.
Related Links
http://www.nikidesaintphalle.org/
http://www.niki-museum.jp/english/index.htm
Here is a nice blog entry about Niki and her work.
*****
The evening before last I got another dose of life-affirming by watching a documentary – “A Man Named Pearl.”
Pearl Fryar is a very cool, very energetic dude who created a beautiful garden in his yard from discarded plants tossed out by a local nursery.
I recommend sitting down with some hot tea and being prepared to feel as though you are a very lazy slug when you’re all done watching it. He’s just one of those beautiful amazing spirits out there in the world who keeps shining no matter what. He’s an inspiration and an artist.
You can see the trailer: http://www.amannamedpearl.com/
2 Responses “Il Giardino Dei Tarocchi & Pearl’s Garden Too”
An admirer from Belgium
wow. don’t you love it when you trip across these things? aren’t they inspiring! There’s so much focus there. One day after the next until suddenly you have something magnificent. My mantra – I’m going to start working on a large piece of beadwork soon. One day after the next. One bead after the next.
Yes – I love it! It’s so inspiring! By the way, I have a bead magazine that I think is perfect for your new endeavors. I’ve had it for a while – maybe two or three years and love looking through it. The cover eventually came off. However, there is nothing in it that I really am up to doing, so I think you should have it. I understand “Mom’s in the Kitchen” is opening up a new cafe called “Dream Weaver Cafe” any day now. We should meet at the new cafe and I’ll bring the beading magazine – you could bring some of those back-issues of the clay magazine and we’ll chat!